Poll: Floridians oppose EPA water mandates

An overwhelming number of Floridians oppose the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new water pollution standards if they result in a $700 increase in their annual water bills, according to a poll commissioned by the Foundation for Associated Industries of Florida.

The survey of 625 registered Florida voters found 68 percent were against implementation of the regulations – up 7 points from when the question was asked in August.

“This poll proves what Florida employers have been saying all along: The EPA water mandates threaten jobs, are a recession extender and carry a cost that Florida’s families cannot afford,” said Barney Bishop, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Florida, in a news release. “Congress can take a positive step to promote Florida’s economic health by defunding the EPA’s enforcement of the mandates and delegate authority back to Florida and let us control our own destiny when it comes to water regulation.”

In November, the EPA finalized standards designed to help reduce water pollution that causes harmful algae blooms in freshwater lakes and streams. However, the state was given 15 months to implement them.

The final standards are part of a settlement with environmentalists and set specific limits on the amount of nutrient pollution allowed in Florida’s waterways, which can cause a thick, green muck that produces toxins that are harmful to people and animals.

In January, the Florida League of Cities and Florida Stormwater Association joined a growing number of entities that have filed lawsuits against the EPA. It asks a Pensacola federal judge to force the agency to “abandon its unprecedented action against Florida and to take another look and conduct proceedings consistent with federal law.”

Those who oppose the mandates claim it will cost Floridians billions to uphold. The EPA has said it will cost just 11 to 20 cents a day per household.

“In the current economic climate, Florida voters are not inclined to support sweeping new environmental regulations if it involves taking more money out of their shrinking pockets,” said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, in a news release.